Had it reached the floor for a vote, H.R. 5520 would have mandated that the VA undertake a sweeping clinical study into the efficacy of cannabis as an alternative treatment for veterans with diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. The VA pushed back, stating that all forms of cannabis were classified as Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substance Act. H.R. 5520 went nowhere.

As happens in the new DC, seismic change occurred while we were asleep. On Dec. 20, The 2018 farm bill, pushed through largely via the efforts of Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.), was signed into law. For the first time in eight decades, a form of cannabis, so long as it meets the narrow federal guidelines that define industrial hemp, is now federally legal.

As many veterans are currently using CBD derived from industrial hemp for medicinal purposes or to wean themselves off of opioids, it is important that clinicians are able to fully advise veterans on the impacts, harms and benefits of cannabis use with various diagnoses including PTSD and chronic pain, particularly given that CBD derived from industrial hemp is federally legal if grown in accordance with the 2018 farm bill. It is clear that medical research into the safety and efficacy of cannabis usage from newly federally legalized cannabis for medical purposes is timely, necessary and widely supported by the veteran community. The time to provide effective care to our nations veterans is now, and we hope our newly sworn in Congress is up to the task.